Chronic tight chest, pressure on lungs, shortness of breath

I am a 23 year old female. I was a social smoker but have not smoked for a while. For the past two months I have had a very tight chest. The tightness sometimes feels like a weight pressing down on my lungs or like I’m wearing a very tight bra. I also have a poking feeling as though someone is poking me in my right lung. These symptoms have been pretty much constant for two months. I first noticed this two months ago when I was at home. After two days it was getting worse and I started to not be able to breathe and I was wheezing heavily. I was also having severe bronchospasms. I couldn’t talk properly because I battled to breathe. I went to the hospital and the doctor said he could hear krepitations in my lungs and the x-ray looked like bronchitis. I was surprised because I did not have the flu or a cold and felt fine other than my chest. I also only had a bit of flem (phlegm) in my lungs. He admitted me to hospital where I stayed for five days. In hospital I was prescribed Tavanic IV three times a day, Theoplus, a cough suppressant, painkillers and I was nebulized. None of the treatment in hospital made me feel at all better. I could not sleep at night due to losing my breath. I also had to use oxygen quite a bit. I have never been so scared in my life.

When I left hospital I was only very slightly better in that I wasn’t wheezing and having as many bronchospasms. I could not walk around because when I did I felt like my chest was very heaving. I went back to the doctor who treated me in hospital and since I did not think the antibiotic had worked, he prescribed Amoxil which also did not help. I went to another doctor who said I have asthma and prescribed 10 Panafcort a day for a week and an asthma pump. However, I do not think I have asthma as none of this treatment helped at all. Soon after, I went back to the emergency room where I was not taken seriously at all. The doctor asked me if I have hiccups or got a fright. He took another x-ray and said it looked like I still had an infection so he prescribed Orelox 100mg. This also did not help and I still had the same feeling in my chest. I then went to another doctor who thought it might be stress. She did a full blood count to check things out and my white blood cell count was elevated which indicated an infection. She then put me on Augmentim BD 1000mg for a week. After this I still felt the same but another blood test showed that my white blood cells were within normal range so she said the infection was gone.

So as it stands today I still have a very tight chest and a very uncomfortable poking feeling in my right lung. I also feel short of breath often. It feels worse when I sit up as everything feels squashed. It also feels bad when I lie on my back. I haven’t wheezed since I went to hospital and my last bronchospasm was when I went to the emergency room the second time. My quality of life has been terrible since this happened and I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is. If the ‘infection’ has gone then why do I still feel the same? It has been six weeks since I finished the Augmentim BD 1000mg. The doctors were also not sure if I even had bronchitis as I only had a slight temperature and wasn’t coughing. I think I should mention that I have allergies in that I get this clear slimy mucous at the back of my nose and my throat often feels swollen and flemy. However, if one has asthma they wouldn’t have these symptoms all the time and the asthma pumps should relieve them. Is that right? When I was a baby a doctor said I had twitchy airways but I have not had any ‘asthma’ problems or symptoms since then. I would like to know what is wrong with me and why nothing has helped.

Maybe you should get tested for allergies? Although the sharp pain in your right lung doesn't exactly match that theory..... Perhaps you breathed in something tiny that didn't turn up on the xray? Also, have you had you home tested for mold? Hope these ideas help you get to the bottom of it all!

I have these same symptoms right now...I was told I had asthma cuz I have allergies, but I have to use the rescue inhaler every 4 hours...now it got worse and I lost my voice and have bad cough...went to doc said I have bronchitis....no tests done...Am on anitbiotics and steroids, but it's been 4 days and I am still the same....Hope someone can help us!

I would recommend you see a accpuncturist. They have a way of testing you that medical doctors wish they could. They are a none invasive way of getting look at and a lot cheaper. Be sure to get a very reputable one.
Hope this helps....

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